'Leave our meat alone – other ingredients are much worse'

I see that the control freaks are at it again, this time wanting to put a tax on meat.

These unbelievable people are claiming that such an imposition could prevent 222,000 deaths a year and save over £30bn in care costs.

How can they possibly produce such figures on the basis of their research when there is an infinite variety of people and a wide spectrum of diets and reactions to diet?

The World Health Organisation targets processed meats and then says even unprocessed meats are “probably” cancer-causing – not a very precise statement to support these apparently precise figures. Reading the labels of many processed foods other than meat reveals a bewildering array of apparent chemical ingredients which must be more suspect in health terms than a piece of fresh natural meat properly cooked.

This is where the WHO should turn its fire.

Peter Horton

Address supplied

Speed’s worse than poor lights

Isn’t it the case that, for every problem we’ve solved, we’ve created an even bigger one, hence global warming?

As a result of three members of the same family being killed in Alderley Edge, thousands of people are calling for better lighting and sign posting.

If this was the solution to preventing road deaths, why are so many people killed in broad daylight? How many are killed because drivers ignore red traffic lights? How much clearer than red lights can signs be?

Given that we’re smart enough to know that smoking causes lung cancer, why aren’t we smart enough to know that excess speed causes far more deaths than poor lighting and poor signage?

Also, given light pollution and unaffordable electric bills, shouldn’t more street lighting be the last solution?

Doesn’t light pollution cost millions, if not billions, of pounds to produce, and make it difficult for creatures of the night to find food?

By reducing speed, not only will we reduce road deaths, we will reduce congestion, stress, our NHS costs, and the burning of fossil fuel.

Allan Ramsay

Radcliffe

EU Army’s on

the march

Hot on the heels of French President Emmanuel Macron calling for a European Army, now we have Angela Merkel voicing the same rallying call.

As I have pointed out before, it was described in 2014 by Nick Clegg as a”dangerous fantasy” but what do you know, it was mooted by Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the EU Commission, last year.

It is certainly dangerous but looking less and less like a fantasy.

UKIP has always maintained that such an army was part of the European project and, as usual, UKIP has had the foresight that politicians of other parties lack, either burying their heads in the sand or just being short- sighted.

It is no coincidence that the EU is set to expand its defence budget from 2021, allocating £11.3bn over seven years – the army they have always wanted is marching over the hill.

And I fear it is no coincidence that, over the years, our own Armed Forces have been severely depleted by government cut-backs. All part of a plan to keep us tied to Brussels, regardless of what the majority of people in this country actually want.

The idea that this new proposed militarised union is somehow a recipe for peace is terrifyingly flawed.

Paul Nuttall

North West MEP

UK Independence Party

Unknown Celebrities

The line-up of participants for the latest I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out Of Here is missing something – celebrities!

This is not just a local problem, most countries’ apparent celebrities seem to be unknowns, ex-moderately successful sports people, actors that were in TV shows as supporting characters and a few unsocial social media participants.

Maybe this time the jungle lions will be let free to provide their own review of the participants.

Dennis Fitzgerald via email

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